Reminiscence
by Happii Haden
Summary: "His name is Deidara Kurusu. Back in the 1960s, I met this boy at a drivein," Akasuna explained. "He was the exact opposite of me. Caring, spontaneous, loud, bratty, and happy. Despite all of that, I still loved him..."


WARNING: Yaoi  
Rated: T  
Genre: Romance  
Naruto (c) Kishimoto

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, DEII

* * *

"C'mon Naru-tard, throw the ball already!" Kiba grinned, swinging his bat before tapping the end of it on the ground twice.

A blond, further away from the male yelling at him, scowled and spat on the ground. "Try actually hitting the ball, dog-boy!"

Another male, who sat on a bench nearby, rolled his eyes and fingered his wooden bat boredly. "Both of you shut up and play already. Naruto, throw the ball."

"You're not the boss of me, Sasuke!" Naruto spat sticking his tongue out.

The rest of the males in the yard groaned, "Just pitch it already!"

Naruto humphed and turned, positioning himself correctly. He cupped the ball in both of his hands before winding his arm back. "I'll show that stupid dog-boy," the blond muttered to himself before throwing the ball fast.

Kiba, who was not prepared for such a fast ball, became startled and swung out in an instant reaction to defend himself. Surprisingly enough, the ball made contact with the wooden instrument.

The ball flew above all of the boy's heads, astonishing them to no end. Their heads turned, their eyes never leaving the ball. It wasn't until the ball started to fly into the direction of an infamous neighbor's threadbare home. The boy's eyes widened and they all immediately began to flock to the flying sphere chanting a chorus of "no, no, no!"

A thundering crash made them all shrink in fear.

"At least it's a small break?" Kiba offered.

As the words left his mouth, the bat he had been previously using flew into the already broken window and shattered it completely. The window now left gaping at the children.

Kiba shrunk further to the ground. "It kinda slipped from my hand earlier…" he muttered quietly.

"Kiba!" Naruto shrieked, grabbing the boy by the front of his shirt. "That's old man Akasuna's house! He's going to murder us!" He let the scared boy go and swallowed hard, "And if the old man doesn't kill us, my mom will. We're dead men!" He glared at the brunet, "This is your fault!"

The brunet shook his head, "N-No it isn't! You threw the ball too fast!" He raised his hands in defense, "I was just trying to protect myself!"

As the boys bickered back and forth, no one noticed an elderly man peek through the shattered window, a scowl etched on his aged faced. Without saying a word, the man caught the stare of the chubby catcher Choji, one of the boys playing with Naruto, Kiba, and Sasuke. A rather feminine scream tore from the boy's throat and alerted the other boys of the situation.

"It's Akasuna!"

The boys scattered, leaving poor Naruto to fend for himself and run inside. He practically slammed through his back door and tried to run up the stairs. Maybe if he could run past his mom, she wouldn't know he was there and he could get off scot free just like the other boys.

"Naruto, what have I told you about running through the house?" his mother scolded from the kitchen.

"Sorry, I just...I remembered I had homework and it's due tomorrow!" he lied frantically. "It's really important and worth half of my grade." The blond was hurrying to his door, but the sound of the phone stopped him dead in his tracks. What if that was the old man calling!? Jumping the stairs, Naruto ran to the phone passing his mother in a whirlwind along the way. "I got it!" he exclaimed tackling the phone before picking up.

His mother raised an eyebrow, her hands on her hips. "Naruto?"

The blond smiled and shooed his mother away. "It's just Kiba."

"Didn't you have homework?" she asked. "If so, you shouldn't be talking on the phone."

"Kiba needs help with his," Naruto explained. "I'll bring the phone back later." With the phone in his hand, he ran up to his room and shut the door. He heard the shout of his mother telling him she'd "call him down for dinner".

Naruto sighed in relief and plopped onto bed. "You seriously are going to get us killed," he grumbled into the device.

A voice on the other end bickered at him telling him it wasn't his fault. Naruto didn't care as long as he didn't get in trouble for it. Perhaps the old man would forget it even happened. Probably too old to be bothered. The blond stayed on the phone for some time before joining his parents and siblings for dinner.

"So, how was baseball practice?" Kushina, Naruto's mother, asked.

Naruto felt his heart speed up at the topic choice his mother chose. "Uhm, it was fine. I pitched a real fast ball to Kiba."

Kushina smiled, "Oh? Did you let your brother play?"

The blond's eyes fell to his younger brother, Konohamaru. He had almost forgotten about him. _He better not have told on us…_ Naruto thought to himself. "Yeah, he played too."

Minato, the blond's father, grinned, "Did anyone hit a homerun?"

"Kiba did," Naruto nodded. Maybe he was just being too paranoid.

"That's right. I saw it for myself," Kushina said, smiling directly at her oldest son.

Naruto froze. Perhaps he wasn't being too paranoid. Though her face was smiling, her eyes were glaring harshly into his own. He was dead. "Y-Yeah? Pretty awesome, right?" he asked in a small voice, visibly shrinking in his chair.

The woman nodded, "Very impressive. Would you like to tell your dad what it looked like?"

Naruto looked over at Konohamaru, who was also shrinking in his own chair, and then at his dad. "Well...uh...it was pretty cool. It went flying over our heads."

"That does sound impressive," Minato said, not noticing the tense atmosphere.

"What else, Naru?" Kushina said sweetly.

The blond blanched, "Uh...it went really far."

Minato raised an eyebrow, "Did you lose the ball?"

"And the bat," Naruto nodded.

Minato blinked and stopped his fork midway. "Did you boys do something bad?"

Kushina crossed her arms and stared down both of her expectantly. "Well?" she almost snapped.

Both boys said nothing and before Minato could ask or let Kushina scold them, Ino, the youngest and only daughter, blurted out, "They broke the neighbor's house."

"What?" their father asked surprised.

Konohamaru was next to speak up. "We were playing baseball and Naru threw the ball really fast. Kiba hit and…"

"And it went too far and broke the old man's window," Naruto finished. "It wouldn't have been completely shattered if Kiba hadn't let go of the stupid bat!"

Minato frowned and crossed his arms, "Did you apologize to Mr. Akasuna?"

"What? No, that's crazy dad!" Naruto blurted surprised. He may be reckless, but he wasn't suicidal.

Konohamaru agreed with the blond. "That old man is mean and scary!"

Kushina sighed and shook her head, "You boys need to go and apologize to him. First thing tomorrow, after school, I want you to go apologize. All of you. If someone tries to get out of it, I will be making phone calls home. Understand?"

"Yes, mom," both boys muttered.

"Good. Finish dinner and march yourselves up to bed. No snacks tonight."

The two boys pouted and finished their dinners slowly that night. Tomorrow, the group would be facing hell. Literally.

* * *

"So, we're all very sorry for breaking your window, Mr. Aksuna," Naruto said with a wavering voice.

It was around 3:45PM and all of the boys were gathered in front of Akasuna's house to apologize. Naruto felt inferior to the older man scowling at him. The male was glaring at all of them with so much intensity that Naruto believed their heads would explode if possible.

"Hn," the old man snorted, before promptly slamming the door in the blond's face.

Naruto blinked in shock before turning to the others. They all shrugged.

"Guess we're forgiven," one boy announced. "Let's go to the fields. Naruto's yard sucks now."

Everyone gave nods of agreement before dispersing. Sasuke, the blond's best friend, stood next to said blond and nudged him. "You coming, dobe?"

Naruto frowned and walked off the porch with his friend. He looked back at the house and saw the old man glaring out the window at them before disappearing behind the curtains. What was that old man's problem anyways? He was always so angry and grumpy. Never talking to anyone or saying hello. He chased off any animals that approached his yard. Kids too.

"Naruto?"

The blond shook his head and turned around. "You can go, Sasuke. I'm tired of that old man grumping around. Besides, he stills has my ball and bat."

"I've a feeling he won't give it back so easily," the raven haired boy stated.

Naruto grinned, "I know. That's why I'm going to make him forgive me." He began to walk up to the house. He half expected his friend to leave him, as he usually did when he did something stupid. However, to his surprise, Sasuke stayed.

"I think you may be right about this," Sasuke said.

"Someone is feeling charitable," the blond laughed. "Alright. Let's do this!" He knocked on the door harshly, the sound bouncing off the porch. "You think he'd have a doorbell."

After a few seconds of waiting, the old man appeared before them once again.

Naruto smiled, "Hello, again, Mr. Akasuna. Me and my friend Sasuke thought-"

_**SLAM**_

The smile fell off Naruto's face immediately. "He just slammed it on me again! Damnit!" He scowled and rapped on the door again. "Mr. Akasuna! Open up, Mr. Akasuna!" The thuds against the door became louder and faster as Naruto beat his fist against the wood. "Mr. Akasu-"

"_What?_" the old man snapped, his eyes angrier than ever.

Naruto jumped back startled as the door swung open and the old man loomed over him. It took all his might not to back down right there. He had never heard the old man say anything more than a grunt or quiet mutters. His voice was strong but cracked ever so slightly at the end.

"W-We want to make up for your broken window," Naruto said mustering up as much courage as he could. "I want you to forgive us." He stood his ground, crossing his arms and holding his head high.

A moment of silence passed between the males and Naruto began to believe that the old man would just slam the door on them again. However, he was faintly surprised when the man's glare softened just the slightest and he spoke up.

"You really want to make up for the window?" he asked, crossing his arms.

Both boys nodded, Naruto more eagerly than his friend.

The old man sighed before tapping his foot against the porch floors. "Fine," he said. "Come by Saturday morning and help clean my house."

Although his voice was harsh and icy, the blond couldn't help but smile. He had gotten through to the old man. Somewhat. "Yes, sir, Mr. Akasuna, sir!" Naruto grinned all too happily.

The man nodded before slamming the door on the two boys once again. This time it didn't bother Naruto. "I told you I'd make him forgive us!" he grinned. "You don't have to come though if you don't want to."

Sasuke shrugged, "I've got nothing better to do. Itachi is busy studying for finals all week anyways."

"Sweet. See you Saturday then," Naruto said as the two parted ways.

When Naruto returned home, he found his mother waiting expectantly with dinner ready. "You were out late, Naru. Konohamaru told me you all apologized. Thank you," she smiled.

"It was nothing," he replied sitting down. "Actually, Sasuke and I are going over to help him clean his house Saturday."

Kushina raised an eyebrow. "Oh? Why would you do that?"

Naruto shrugged, "I wanted him to forgive us for real."

The woman's smile grew. "That's very sweet or you, Naru."

"Mom, do you know Mr. Akasuna personally?" Konohamaru asked, taking notice of how fond his mother was towards the old man.

Kushina nodded and chuckled at her children's shocked expressions. "I've known him since I was a young girl. Granted he was much older, he and Deidara were the talk of the town."

"Deidara?" Naruto asked, the name rolling off his tongue in a strange way.

"His lover. Ah, it's been so long," she laughed. "I remember when Sasori's hair was as red as mine! He was the handsomest man in town during that time." The woman sighed, "Alright. Enough reminiscing for now. Time to eat!" Kushina said clapping her hands together.

* * *

_Saturday…_

"And you willingly offered to help old man Akasuna?" Kiba asked in disbelief as he walked with Naruto and Sasuke to the old man's home. "Are you insane? He's going to murder you as soon as you close the door!"

Sasuke rolled his eyes and brushed the brunet off. "He's just a lonely old man. He can't do much harm."

"Don't act like you didn't scream and run like a girl when we saw him!" Kiba growled.

Naruto sighed, "C'mon, Kiba. Stop being a prick."

Kiba shoved his hands in his pockets and rolled his eyes. "This is stupid. I'm going to Shikamaru's."

"It's not like we invited you anyways," Sasuke said almost glaring at the boy.

"Screw you, Uchiha," Kiba ground out.

The three boys stopped in front of the old man's house. "We're helping him out, like it or not. We owe it to him."

The brunet sighed, "Fine. See you at your funeral," he muttered under his breath before walking off leaving the two boys alone in front of the worn home.

Naruto was first to approach the door and knock, Sasuke following behind casually. Unlike the first time Naruto went over to the man's house, the door opened calmly and was inviting. The two boys stepped in, the old man closing the door behind them.

"You can start by cleaning the attic," the old man muttered to the boys as he eyed them suspiciously. He wasn't too keen on letting others in his house. "Organize what's up there and then come back down, so we can get started on the next thing."

The two boys nodded and followed the man to a hallway upstairs. As the man pulled down the hatch from the ceiling, Naruto couldn't help but notice the room further down the hall. Of all the rooms in the home, sunlight crept out from beneath the door. Maybe that was the room they smashed the window of. But didn't the hit the side of his house? Old man Akasuna didn't seem to like the sunlight, so why would that one room be well lit? The blond decided to not question any of it and instead followed Sasuke up the ladder.

"I'll be in my den," the man said before leaving the hall. Naruto watched as the man walked away before he disappeared completely from his sight. With the lights clicked on, courtesy of Sasuke, he got a good glimpse of the place. From what he could tell, the place hadn't be touched in the longest time. It was almost as if someone had put everything away hastily, not caring what happened to it.

"What're we supposed to do with all of this junk?" Naruto complained dusting some spider webs away from a box.

Sasuke crouched down and began to stack some boxes. "Guess we organize. You're the one who wanted to do this," he said pointedly.

Naruto huffed out his cheeks, "You came on your own too, yanno!"

Sasuke nodded and shrugged of the blond. "Just help me move these boxes. We can sort them."

The two agreed and began shuffling through the boxes and occasional marionettes that showed up, making Naruto practically jump into Sasuke's arms. Being nosy kids, or a nosy kid (Naruto), because Sasuke didn't count himself as such, they went through the boxes. They didn't dig through per-say, just opened the box and took a peek.

"Old man Akasuna sure has a bunch of weird stuff. Who keeps creepy puppets in the attic!? Hasn't he seen any horror movies before?" Naruto asked, moving another puppet aside.

Sasuke shrugged, "Probably. I'd assume he had taken his dates to see one or two."

Naruto laughed at the idea. "The old man? Do you really think he could even get a date? If he was anything like now, I'm sure no one wanted to date him."

"You didn't see the pictures?"

The blond stopped laughing and cocked an eyebrow. "Pictures? No. Did they have cameras back in his day?"

Sasuke shook his head at his idiot friend and sighed, "I saw a picture of him and what I assume was his date at a drivein."

"No way! Lemme see!" Naruto grinned running over to the raven. His eyes widened in disbelief when Sasuke pulled open a box and exposed a picture. "Dude, Old man Akasuna was hot!"

The raven, for once an expression on his face, stared at his friend in disbelief.

"I didn't mean it in a gay way or anything, but damn! I guess he did get dates, huh?" Naruto laughed. "She's pretty cute. I'm not big on blondes though. She's kinda flat chested too."

Sasuke nodded, "Although she's rather small, she seems quite masculine."

Naruto pulled out the picture and gently set it down. He pulled out another one and Sasuke felt his eyes widened. "What are you doing, dobe? We shouldn't be snooping through his stuff," the raven hissed.

Naruto waved a hand of dismissal at his friend and grinned. "I wanna see more pictures! I won't break them or anything. Don't be such a pansy, teme."

Sasuke glared at his friend before sighing and sitting down. "Fine," he muttered, "but I'm blaming you if he gets pissed."

The blond nodded, "Whatever. Some of these are pretty cool. Look," he said dumping a group of photos in Sasuke's lap. "Apparently, the old man's grandparents built this house." Naruto grabbed another photo and examined it carefully. "Seems like the old man was quite the photographer. There's even a photo book inside."

Sasuke looked at the photos as well and nodded. It did seem that Akasuna did know what he was doing. Going through the several pictures, he noticed as Naruto piled more on his lap and the deeper they got into the box, more of the blonde girl showed up in the pictures.

"Do you think he was a stalker?" Naruto asked raising his eyebrow at yet another picture of the blonde. "He has a lot of pictures of her."

"Perhaps it was a girlfriend or wife?"

Naruto nodded, "Maybe…"

"What do you two think you're doing!?" they heard a broken voice nearly screech.

The sound of feet thudding against the creaky wooden surface startled the boys immediately. In self defense, Naruto raised his arms above his head, shielding himself from the old man. However, nothing came. No yelling or a hit. Not even an ear pinch! Naruto flinched when he felt the old man reach down and pull something out of his hand with ease.

Naruto moved his arms away slowly and stared at the old man. His permanent sullen look that seemed to be etched on to his face, was replaced with a softer, gentler look. It was as if he was holding a newborn baby.

"I-I'm sorry, Mr. Akasuna. I know we shouldn't go through your stuff, but it's really interesting," the blond muttered.

Sasuke placed all the pictures back into the box and nodded, "You'll have to forgive Naruto. He's reckless, yes, but he really does mean well."

The old man's eyes darted away from the picture and to Naruto.

Naruto cleared his throat, "I-Is...Is that Deidara?" he asked awkwardly.

"How do you know that name?"

The blond boy fidgeted under the old man's stare and awkwardly played with the corners of the pictures in his lap. "My mom mentioned her. Is she your wife…?"

The two boys were surprised and stared at the man in front of them baffled. The edges of Akasuna's lips curved up into a smirk of some sort and a chuckle rippled from his throat. It was the first time, the boys had seen the man reveal an emotion other than anger or sadness.

"That did never fail to amuse me," Akasuna chuckled in a soft voice. "I'm sure if he were here now, he'd be pouting like a brat with his cheeks cherry red."

"He?" Sasuke asked raising an eyebrow.

The old man eyed the box before sighing. "Put everything back inside and bring the box down stairs. I'll explain," Akasuna crossed the room and stepped down the ladder until he disappeared below.

It didn't take long for the boys to pick up and carry the box down. Although it was hard to get the box down from the attic, Akasuna was there to help, so nothing would be ruined. They followed him into the room Naruto had saw earlier. Inside the room was much brighter and neater than the rest of the home. Neither boy would have expected it from such a grumpy old man.

Sitting down in a rocker, Akasuna motioned for the boys to set the box next to him. "Since I'm feeling rather generous, I'm going to tell you a story...A story about a very special person to me." He reached over his seat and dug through the boxes. He pulled out a picture and presented it to the boys, who sat in front of him a foot away.

"His name is Deidara Kurusu. Back in the 1960s, I met this boy at a drivein," Akasuna explained. "He was the exact opposite of me. Caring, spontaneous, loud, bratty, and happy. You remind me of him quite a lot actually," he muttered nodding at the blond. "Despite all of that, I still loved him...Hand me that book in there."

Naruto dug through the box and handed the book over to the elderly man. The book was opened and presented to them.

"This was the drivein where I first met him. I was having lunch with a friend..."

_"The place is popping with people, Sasori! We have to go. I'm sure you can get some wonderful shots," my girlfriend smiled excitedly. _

_I sighed and ran my fingers through my red locks. "Mary, honestly, I really don't think it'd be worth it." I fingered my camera in a bored manner before looking back up at her. _

_She glared at me, hands on her hips. "You never listen to me! Do you listen to any woman? You don't even listen to your own grandmother! What's your deal?" She snapped. "Are you too much of a man to listen?" _

_I sighed again and leaned against my Shelby. "When's the last time you listened to me?" _

_Her face turned completely red in anger. "I'm done with you!" she exclaimed. "just drop me off at the drivein and I'll eat there by myself. Maybe I'll even hop in someone else's car."_

_I shook my head and motioned her into the car. "You're too quick to anger. Ever thought about talking to someone about that?" _

_She slapped me across the face and humphed. "I don't know what I saw in you." She dug through her purse and pulled out a pack of cigarettes and a lighter. _

_I wrinkled my nose in disgust. "Can you not do that in my car? Or around me. My grandmother will be pissed if she smells it on me again."_

_Mary rolled her eyes and blew the smoke in my face. "Like I care. Why should I listen to you?" _

_The drive didn't take long. I was quite surprised by the scenery. The place was packed to the brim as she had said before. _

_"Lose my number or else," Mary stated before putting her cigarette out on my new car seat for emphasis. _

_I scowled and pulled off the side when she was out. "Damnit," I muttered. "Left a hole. Crazy bitch." _

_"Now that's not a nice thing to say, hun." _

_I looked up and saw a busty woman with dyed blue hair. She was something different alright. Momentarily forgetting she was standing in front of me, I pulled my camera up and snapped a photo of her. _

_She looked shocked and blinked at me. "What was that for?" _

"_O-Oh! Sorry," I muttered. "Your hair is really unique. I'm a photographer and sometimes I forget that not everyone cares to have their photos taken. Especially when they're standing right in front of me…" I apologized awkwardly. _

_The girl laughed and put a hand on her hip. "I like you. You're funny." She gave me a caring smile, "I saw what happened back there. You look like you could use something to eat and relax. There's a couple of spot up front near a radio. You should come grab a bite. Maybe we can fix up your seat while you're here."_

_I drummed my fingers against the wheel indecisively. While her offer did seem worthwhile, many cons outweighed it. With Mary still there and my fear of big crowds, I felt like I would suffocate if I stayed any longer._

"_Ah, I'd love to, but I got to drive to my grandmother's house. She lives about three hours away and gets really cranky when I'm late," I explained. "Maybe some other time when this place isn't so…" As my eyes wandered around the woman, I caught glimpse of someone else. _

_She was a tall blonde beauty. Even from far away, I could feel her smile radiating. It made me, who was always cold, feel warmth. The woman in front of me must've noticed my staring because she turned sideways and smirked, "That's Deidara. Just started working here."_

"_I'd love to get a picture of her…" I muttered under my breath. _

_She heard me and howled in laughter._

_I raised an eyebrow at her and questioned, "What's so funny? Is it that strange?"_

_She shook her head and grinned, "It's nothing. I bet if you go buy something up there, she can bring your order out. Think about it, okey?" she winked, before skating away. _

_I sat back and watched the two interact outside before disappearing into the small building. I checked the camera's film and determined whether I had enough left. Luckily enough, I did. Putting the car into drive, I parked up in a spot in the drivein. It was lunch and I needed a picture of that blonde. The woman's offer from before didn't seem so bad. _

_The same woman from before approached my car again, this time a pad of paper and pen in hand. "I see you took up my offer. What will it be?" she grinned. _

"_Anything, as long as Deidara delivers it to me," I grinned back._

_The woman laughed and nodded, "I'll make sure she delivers it. Name, sweety?"_

"_Akasuna."_

_With a nod and scribble on her notepad, she zipped off. While waiting for my food, I snapped several shot from my car. I'd have to remember to come back again and actually get some ground shots. I really should listen to the women in my life. Mary was spot on about this place. _

"_Akasuna, yeah?" a voice asked cheerfully from beside me. _

_I looked up and was greeted with the gorgeous blonde I had saw earlier. _

"_Yeah, that's me." _

_She grinned and handed my food to me in exchange for my money. "Awesome! First time here, yeah? Haven't seen you around here before."_

_I nodded and gripped my camera in one hand. I was itching to sneak a shot._

_She flipped her hair over her shoulder slightly, the sun glimmering through it, enticing me. "You picked a great meal for your first time. It's my favorite, yeah." _

"_Oh, really?" _

_She nodded smiling, "It is! The fries are so sweet and salty at the same time. It's mind blowing, yeah!" God, her smile was beautiful._

"_Deidara!"_

_Upon hearing her name, we both looked over and saw the woman with blue hair waving her over. Deidara looked back at me and gave me another sweet smile. "Aw, sorry to cut it short. Got work to do," she laughed, clutching her tray in her hands. _

"_It's alright," I said, eyes directing back to her face. She had light ocean blue eyes. They contrasted my dark brown eyes. "Oh, before you go. With your permission, may I take some photos of you and the drivein?" I asked quickly. _

_He cheeks heated up at the question. I wasn't sure if she was embarrassed or just camera shy, but she nodded. "I don't think anyone would mind. Hope you come back again, yeah!" she exclaimed before skating back to the building._

_I looked down at my food and genuinely smiled. There was something about that Deidara that created a certain happiness within me. Perhaps that's why she was hired. As I ate my meal, I snapped photos of the people at the drivein, making sure to get extra shots of Deidara. Like she had said, the food was really good. I wouldn't mind coming back again, even if I had to fight off a crowd of people. _

"So, wait...Deidara's a girl right?" Naruto asked confused.

The old man shook his head, "No, he's a boy."

"But...you referred to him as a girl…"

Sasuke rolled his eyes and elbowed the boy. "He thought Deidara was a girl as well, dimwitt. Deidara is a boy, who looked like a girl and was often confused as one. However, I'm assuming that when he was working at the drivein, it was intentional. Correct?"

Sasori nodded and continued speaking. "I visited the drivein often after that. I saw him and we became closer. I didn't know he was another male until after a few dates." The old man ran his fingers across the pages and continued muttering on.

"I remember the day he came out to me. Boy, was I in for a shock of my lifetime." He presented a picture of the blond in a car at a drivein movie theater. "We watched a horror movie; Psycho. I don't know if you boys have heard of it or not, real old movie. It had just came out and Deidara was more than excited to see it…"

"_You're the best, Sasori! You have no idea!" Deidara exclaimed happily. "I could kiss you right now!"_

_I smirked, glancing at her for a moment before returning my eyes to the road. "No objections here."_

"_Sasori!" she squealed, probably red with embarrassment. _

_I laughed and glanced at her again. My assumption was correct as always. I had spent enough time with her to know how she reacts. I felt her move in closer to me and my heart beat increased. _

"_Maybe you can have a small kiss," she muttered softly, before kissing my cheek. "Just because you're so sweet, yeah."_

_I felt my cheeks and tips of my ears heat up at the contact of her lips against my skin. If I hadn't kept my composure, we would've crashed. She giggled, probably seeing my blush, and leaned back in her seat. _

"_Thanks for taking me out again," she said, while watching the nightlife pass by. "You're the sweetest guy I know." _

_I chuckled at the statement before pulling up to a concrete lot. A man in a small booth stopped me and asked for tickets. Deidara handed them to me and I presented them to the ticket taker. He tore off a stub and extended them back to me before raising the gate and letting us through. _

_Deidara excitedly scoped out the scenery and nearly squealed in delight. I couldn't help but laugh at her antics. We pulled into an empty space up front and stopped the car. The movie didn't start until five minutes, so I offered to go get us some pops and candies. She didn't object and sat in the car waiting for me. Whilst buying snacks, I came across a high school buddy of mine. He was working the concession stand and immediately spotted me and started waving. _

"_Man, I haven't seen you in forever!" he exclaimed, grinning. "You here with Mary? I didn't think I'd ever see you come down to the Passion Pit."_

_I rubbed the back of my neck and chuckled, "Ah, no. I broke up with Mary a while back. Well...actually she dumped me, but I wasn't bothered by it."_

_His eyes widened at my statement, "You two had been going steady since high school!" _

_I shrugged, "Mary was a bitch anyways. I'm actually here with my new girlfriend."_

_Again, his eyes bugged out at me in surprise before grinning like a madman. "Do I know her? She go to school with us?"_

"_I don't think so. She's Japanese as well, so I think she moved over here after high school. Anyways, the movie is about to start. I don't wanna keep her waiting any longer. Two Cokes and a bowl of popcorn." _

_He nodded and fetched our snacks quickly, remembering my patience from back in the day. "Perhaps you'll get lucky," he winked handing me the snacks. _

_I shook my head at him, smiling ever-so-slightly, and paid him before practically racing back to my date. She was mindlessly playing with her hair and watching the previews. My smile widened and I hopped into the car. She looked over, almost startled, before smiling at me. _

"_Just in time, yeah," she laughed, taking the bottle of Coke I offered to her. _

_I set the popcorn in between us and sat myself close to her as possible. The movie began and I felt her grab my hand. So far the date was going great. Later into the movie, we moved to the back of the car and were cuddled up against each other. It was sometime then, that I began to notice that Deidara became quite nervous. _

_I looked down at her and asked, "Is something bothering you?" _

_She caught my eyes and immediately looked down. She looked sad and quite scared, however she shook it off and continued to eye the movie. I asked her a few other times to make sure throughout the movie and near the end is when I got my answer. _

"_Sasori...you won't hate me, right?" she asked in a small voice, tears starting to fill her ocean eyes._

_I shook my head and stroked her hair, "I'd never hate you. How could anyone hate you? I think it's impossible." _

_She blushed at my words and gripped my shirt tightly. "You're so sweet, yeah…" She rubbed her teary eyes and sighed, "Please forgive me. I wasn't trying to make a fool of you or hurt you. I didn't wanna lie to you either, yeah. But I knew that you wouldn't...you wouldn't…"_

_I frowned and urged her on to continue. _

"_You wouldn't want to date another guy…" she whispered. _

_I sat there confused. What did she mean by "another guy"? Was she dating someone else? I looked at her and wiped a tear away, that had fallen to her cheek, with my thumb. "I don't understand."_

_She grabbed my hand and held it in her lap. "Sasori...I'm a boy."_

"_What…"_

_She, or he rather, avoided eye contact with me and kept his head down. "I dress up as a girl. If people knew that I was a boy, I would never get hired. It's hard enough being the minority, but being gay in the minority is even worse," he explained quietly. "Before I moved here, I used to live up in Colorado. I was tortured everyday. Beat up, called names, and constantly outcasted, yeah. I didn't want that life any more, so my mother sent me her savings from Hiroshima. I used that money to move here and buy myself a new identity." _

_He let go of my hand and his he face from me with his. Wiping away his tears he sniffled, "I eventually found someone who took me in; my manager at the drivein. She's the only person who knew my true identity and accepted me for it. Then I met you and...I just can't keep lying to you, yeah. It's not right; I know that, but I couldn't help it. You were so perfect, my dream guy even. I know that's over now, but please...please don't hate me."_

_I wasn't sure what to do in that kind of situation. To say I was shocked was an understatement, but I couldn't just let him sit and cry. I had to make a move. Either let him go or…_

_I sighed and removed his hands from his face. "You really are something else, Deidara." He looked up at me, face red and eyes brimming with tears. "I don't hate you for not telling me. Maybe a bit upset, but I definitely do not hate you. I told you, it's impossible." I cupped his cheeks and pulled his face close to mine, pressing a soft kiss to his lips. "Female or not, I can't push away the feelings I have for you."_

_He gasped before bursting into more tears at my statement. Before I could even ask what was wrong this time, he jumped me, wrapping his arms around my neck and burying his face in the crook of my neck. _

"After that, he showed me a new side of him that I hadn't known. I got to know the real him," Sasori explained. He flipped through the book and pointed to a picture of the blond and him and others in front of a house. "We built this house together along with some friends. The place is quite worn out, as you may have noticed, but holds many memories."

He handed the boys the book and leaned back closing his eyes, almost as if he was attempting to get some rest. "This room was our room actually. I don't sleep in here anymore though. The bed is too big and cold for my liking. I keep it clean in here though. This is the only room I care for."

Naruto looked around the room in awe and took in all the details. The bed was in fact quite big and adorned in lacy baby blue and white sheets. Its canopy, draping over it, the ends of the matching material barely touching the plush white carpet. On each side of the bed were two white wood nightstands with pictures and some sculptures of birds. A matching wooden wardrobe was pushed off to the side with a vanity next to it. The walls were painted light shades of blue with white wispy clouds and several small flocks of birds painted here and there. The window seemed to be kept open most the time during the summer days, creating enough natural lighting to fill the room. On the other side sat a desk, two folded easels, and an empty golden bird cage.

"Deidara decorated most of the room, if you couldn't tell," Sasori stated, still casually reclined back.

"Did he have pet birds?" the blond asked after eyeing the room.

The old man nodded and opened his eyes to gaze at the cleaned bird cage. "We had one bird. Her name was Freedom. She was a Northern Rough-winged Swallow." He chuckled and shook his head, "I remember that to a T, thanks to him. Always correcting me with it's full name."

"What happened to her?"

Sasori sighed, "Deidara named it Freedom for a reason. He eventually let it go. We kept the cage, but he always left it open. I never knew why until I walked in on him painting the very same bird."

"_Deidara...I thought you let her go?" I asked quite surprised by the sight I was presented. _

_It was a warm spring day, the sun shining brighter than it had been for days, due to rain. I walked into my shared bedroom and stumbled upon my lover painting a portrait of a bird he had set free a few days before. _

_We had originally found the bird injured after a big storm. Deidara demanded that we take care of it, so I went out and spent our extra cash for it. Once it's injury had fully healed, Deidara believed it should be set free. So out the window it went. From then, he kept the window and bird cage door open. I saw why now. _

_I approached the two calmly and slowly. "How long has she been coming back?" I asked softly. _

"_Every once and a while, yeah." _

_I wrapped my arms around the blond's waist and rested my chin on his shoulder, placing a simple kiss to his lower jaw. "You never said anything. Do you always paint her?"_

_Deidara shook his head, "Not all the time. Sometimes, I'll just sing her a small tune. Or just feed her small snacks. Sometimes other birds come in and I paint them." He set his paints aside and presented his painting to me. _

"_You really do love birds, huh?" I asked removing myself from the blond, eyeing the painting. "You should take it to the gallery downtown. It'd be a major improvement for the place," I chuckled._

"_You flatter, yeah," Deidara laughed. _

_I approached the bird and held out a slim finger. It must've recognized me, because it hopped onto my finger. "It's surprising how trained she is."_

_The blond nodded and rubbed the bird's head with the tip of his index finger. "Birds are a lot smarter than people believe."_

_I nod and watched as the bird lept off my finger and flew out the window, chirping away. "Why is it that you like birds so much?" I asked the blond, who was now cleaning up his artistic mess. _

"_Birds are so free…" he stated with awe. "I've felt captured all my life…to feel free would be…" he began to mutter. "I would love it. To be free. No one to hold me down."_

_I frowned. Did this mean I was holding Deidara back? He must've notice a change in my mood, because he turned around smile in place. _

_He approached me and wrapped me in a hug. "Oh, Sasori. Don't make that face. I know what you're thinking." He pressed his lips to mine and raised his hands to run his fingers through my hair. "You're not caging me, yeah. Even a bird needs a home and you're that home. You're my home away from home." _

_"I really don't know how you understand what you say, but as long as you stay beside me, I suppose it's not all that bad," I muttered, kissing him. _

_Deidara returned the kiss and sighed contently, nuzzling my neck. _

"Deidara was always a free spirit. Said he believed everything was fleeting. I really never liked that way of thinking," Sasori stated, playing with an edge of a picture. "I believed in eternity. I never wanted to let go. We were polar opposites in our beliefs, but somehow it only pulled us closer."

Naruto flipped through the book, only half listening to the old man prattle on. He came across a wedding page full of photos of Sasori in a tux and Deidara in a dress.

"You got married?"

Sasori stopped his rambling and raised a thin eyebrow. "Of course."

_The day I decided to ask Deidara to marry me was one of the most stressful days of my life. And I really do mean the __**most**__. Firstly, I had to ask advice from Deidara's manager, whose name slipped my mind ages ago, let's just call her K. Even though I knew Deidara, probably better than her, I was at a complete loss for how to propose to him. K suggested something on the beach because Deidara loved beaches. _

_After planning how I would propose, I had to go pick out a ring. The thing was that I didn't know Deidara's ring size, but I didn't wanna ask him personally because it would give it away. We had been together for about three years and that was long enough for me to convince myself that we'd be forever._

_Luckily enough, Deidara actually wore a ring. It was a cheap one I had won at a fair, but he wore as if it was worth a million bucks. Although I knew it would drive Deidara nuts, I swiped the ring whilst he was showering one day and replaced it with the newer one I had saved all my money for. _

_It was that morning that I decided to propose to him. I had thought about how I'd do it and eventually came to the conclusion that it didn't matter. As long as I could ask the boy to marry me, and if he said yes, I would be eternally happy. _

_That morning, after his shower, he burst into the kitchen frantically. I was currently making his favorite breakfast for us when he approached me. _

_"Danna, have you seen my ring?" he asked. _

_I shook my head and questioned him in return. "Why? Didn't you wear to bed last night?"_

_"Well no, but I always leave it on the bathroom counter. Or so I thought. I can't find it, yeah," he muttered. _

_I finished the food and began to set up our plates. "Why don't you eat and we'll look for it afterward?" _

_Deidara shook his head and frowned, "Perhaps it fell down the sink...Maybe I can get a wrench of some sort..."_

_I nearly laughed at the blond. He was too adorable. He was so upset about a plastic ring. I moved my coffee cup in front of my mouth to cover my smile. "Maybe you left it on your nightstand?"_

_The blond immediately perked up. "I didn't check there, yeah! You're a genius Danna!" he exclaimed, kissing me before darting off. _

_It was now or never. _

_I followed the blond back to our room just in time to see him picking up the velvet ring box I had left him. He seemed to know what it was already just from holding the box. I smiled and approached the blond quietly. A gasp escaped his lips as he opened the box and eyed the diamond ring. It wasn't much, but it didn't need to be. I could tell that much from his reaction. _

_I wrapped my arms around his waist and kissed his lower jaw before resting my head on his shoulder. "Do you like it?"_

"_L-Like it? I love it, yeah...It's so beautiful…" he whispered fingering it. _

"_I'm glad you do. After all, it's for you," I smiled. "Why don't you put it on?" _

_He nodded and shakily pulled the ring out of the box, attempting to put it on the finger he normally kept his other ring on. I stopped him and directed the ring toward his left ring finger. I felt his body tense and his breath catch. The ring slid on with ease. _

_The blond stared down at the ring on his finger. I smiled and intertwined my fingers with his, "You know I love you, right?"_

"_Yeah…"_

"_More than the entire world."_

_"Yeah..."_

_"I want to be with you forever."_

_"Y-Yeah..."_

_"Deidara, will you marry me?" _

_The blond turned in my arms and weeped, wrapping his amrs around me. "Y-Yes! Oh, God. Yes! Yes, yes, yes!" _

_I wrapped my arms around him and held him close as he sobbed into my neck. It hadn't been the traditional "on one knee" proposal, but it was a proposal nonetheless. And he said yes. _

_I pulled his face away from my neck and pulled him in for a kiss. I could taste his salty tears as our lips and breath mingled. _

_"D-Danna, I'm s-so happy, yeah," he smiled against my lips. _

"I had never seen a happier boy in my life. That day is something unforgettable," Sasori muttered, rubbing his eyes. "Though he wept, his tears were happy ones and I planned to keep it that way."

Naruto rubbed his eyes as well and sniffled. Sasuke raised an eyebrow before chuckling softly. Naruto was such a sap.

"Mr. Akasuna, if you don't mind me asking...What happened to Deidara?"

The old man seemed to freeze up. There was a few moments of silence before the man sighed. "Remember what I said about Deidara believing in a fleeting life?"

The two boys nodded.

"Just as Deidara let Freedom go, God decided to free my dove," he stated resting on his hand. "Hear me out, boys, when I say I never believed in any gods, but that day when he was taken from me...I saw him. I saw God for the first time."

_"Danna, isn't it just a bit perverse to take pictures of me like this?" the blond, from within the tub, asked. _

_I chuckled and waved him off before refocusing my camera. "Your body is beautiful. I wish I could see it more often. I'd love to paint you."_

_Deidara blushed and drew his legs close to his chest. "Naked, yeah?"_

_"Of course," I nod. "Aren't you fascinated with the human body?"_

_The blond pulled his hair over one shoulder and drew his knees closer. "Well, yeah...Humans are fleeting after all."_

"_Not this again," I muttered quietly. I thought I had managed to say it quietly enough, however the familiar childish scoff told me otherwise. _

"_Danna, it's true. We're fleeting. Humans don't live forever. One day, we're gonna die," he said, piercing my heart with each word. _

_If there was one thing I feared most, it was death. I didn't want to die and I didn't want Deidara to die, but it was true. One day, we would die. _

_Deidara swished the bath water around with a hand, the water splash echoing in the small room. "Danna, you believe in eternity right?"_

_I nodded slowly._

"_I'm going to die before you."_

_My eyes widened at his statement, bewildered. "Wh-What!?" I nearly snapped. How could he say something like that!? Why would he even think of that!? Was he suicidal!? "D-Deidara, seriously? Why would you say something so...so…" I choked out. _

_He stood up and stepped out of the bath, grabbing a towel. "Sasori, why're you so shocked?"_

"_Because you just told me you were going to die before me! Anyone would be shocked! I'm almost twenty years older than you and you're telling me that __**you**_ _are going to die before __**me**__," I complained as I watched him dry off. _

"_I've always been told I'd die young. I believe them. My father died young too," he explained before approaching me, towel wrapped loosely around his waist. "Don't take it the wrong way, Sasori. I'm not leaving you just yet, yeah."_

_My mouth went dry as I tried to form any rational sentence. Nothing came out. _

"_Don't cry, Danna," he muttered, wiping away the warm liquid seeping from my eyes. "It's not fitting."_

_He wrapped his arms around my neck and pressed his warm lips against mine. I closed my eyes and pulled him closer to me, pressing my lips back against his harder than before. He ran his fingers up to my hair and entangled them between my locks as I pushed him against the sink. _

_He jumped up on the sink and pulled me closer using his legs. It was then that I noticed that the towel he had been wearing had fallen to the ground, sliding off his figure. He grabbed my hand and trailed it down his body to-_

"M-Mr. Akasuna!" Naruto sputtered, face red with embarrassment.

Sasori seemed to snap out of his daze and realized he had been blubbering on too much in detail. He let out a sheepish chuckle and shook his head. "Forgive me. I forgot I was talking to young children."

Naruto crossed his arms and stared down at the pictures in his lap. "I'm not a young child. I'm sixteen."

The old man chuckled even more, "Of course. Either way, I won't go on in detail, but there was something he told me that night…"

_Deidara pulled me in for another kiss and danced his finger across my back lightly. When our lips parted he began to speak. "Danna, when I die, don't be sad."_

"_You're asking for the impossible," I muttered back to him. _

_He frowned, "Please, Danna. I couldn't move on knowing you were sad." He let out a quiet whimper and held me closer. "Please, yeah."_

_I swallowed thickly and rested my head against the pillow by his head. "I don't know…" I placed a light kiss against his neck and muttered, "I don't want to die alone. I want to die beside you." _

"_Oh, Danna," he sighed before kissing my cheek. "Just promise me this…" _

"_Yes?"_

"_When Death comes for you, welcome Him with open arms. I'll be waiting for you on the other side. It's a promise. Promise me, yeah." _

_I felt my eyes prick with tears once more. "I...I promise," I croaked out in a whisper. _

"_Thank you, Sasori. I love you."_

The old man licked his dry lips and took a deep breath. "The day he left me was the day I broke down completely. It was the winter of 1972 when the accident happened. We were driving back from a small winter fair…"

"_Danna, it was spectacular! Did you see the firebreather, yeah? It was simply amazing! I wish I could be apart of a circus," he laughed. _

_I laughed as well. "I think you'd fit right in with the clowns," I stated jokingly. _

_He faked a gasp and pressed a hand over his heart, "Are you saying I'm a fool? How hurtful, Danna!" He laughed and leaned over to kiss my cheek. "You're such a great husband, yeah. You'd even support my foolish dreams."_

_I chuckled and took one hand off the wheel to intertwine my fingers with his. " No dream is foolish as long as I can be a part of that dream." _

_He sighed happily and squeezed my hand. "You're icecream, Sasori."_

_I laughed and glanced at him for a mere second, "What? Ice cream?" _

"_Yeah! You're so sweet, just like ice cream!" he giggled. "Strawberry ice cream." _

_I felt him tousle my hair for emphasis. "If I'm ice cream, what're you?" I asked amused. _

_I put a finger to his lips, as if thinking hard. "The foolish child, in mid summer, stopping the ice cream man for a delicious frozen treat." _

"_So you're true intent is to devour me, huh?" I asked with a knowing smile. _

"_Yup!" he chimed before slowly catching on to my innuendo. "W-Wait! I don't mean it like that, you pervert!" he exclaimed, red with embarrassment. _

_I laughed and brought his hand to my lips to kiss briefly. "Only for you," I chuckled. _

_Deidara shook his head at me and leaned back in his seat to watch the outside world. "Honestly, Danna, I never expected you to be so dirty, yeah. In fact I thought-" he rambled on before gasping. "Danna! Snow! Lookie!" _

_I grinned at his childish behavior. "Yes, Deidara. I see it."_

"_I haven't seen snow since I moved from Colorado to California, yeah. It's been too long. Do you think it'll stick?" he asked, excitedly. "I want to play in it and build a snowman. I hope it lasts for Christmas. It'll be our first Christmas with snow, yeah?" _

_I nodded and stopped at red light. I looked over at him and smiled, however, a bad feeling in the pit of my stomach began to grow. I tried to push the feeling away, but it came back stronger. We were at an intersection when the light turned green and I began to drive forward. _

_As soon as we were in the middle of that section, the feeling in my stomach dropped. From the corner of my eye I saw another car heading straight for us. There was no way to stop. Time seemed to slow down as I turned my head fully to watch Deidara. The last thing I saw before we were hit was his beautiful smile and shining bright ocean eyes. _

_My eyes shut as the car impacted the side of my vehicle. I heard him let out a gasp of my name, before the sound of tires screeched and metal crushed. Upon hearing my name, I squeezed his hand. Our car was pushed back into a nearby building, while the other car was smashed against us. _

_When I opened my eyes, I found Deidara sprawled out across the gears and my lap. "Oh, god. No, Deidara, no," I whispered, fumbling with my hands as I tried to shake him awake. "Deidara, please...please wake up." _

_I pulled him into my arms, despite the unbearable pain in my shoulder and ribs. "D-Deidara," I gasped as I saw blood drip out of his mouth. "No, no, no. This wasn't supposed to happen. W-We were supposed to go home and play in the snow, remember? You can't l-leave me now," I cried, wiping his mouth. As I pulled his head up to my shoulder, I felt how weak his neck was. _

"_Deidara," I choked out, cradling him to my chest. I closed his eyes and wiped the blood off of him. "I-I can't go on without you. I know I pr-promised, but I don't want t-to be without you." _

_I heard the sound of sirens and metal being pried apart, but it was all background noise to me. I couldn't focus on anything but the lifeless boy in my arms. Somebody was yelling that people were still alive. I had no idea who he was talking about, because without Deidara, I was dead. _

_The rest became a blur of red, yellow, and white as they took him away from me. I couldn't fight back. I tried to reach out for him and call his name, but the people, who thought they were helping me, held me back and rushed me into an ambulance. I just wanted to be with him. I wanted to wake up in bed and find out that it was just a dream. I wanted him to be there and tell me everything would be alright. I wanted him to breathe again. _

_When I did wake up, I was alone in a hospital bed. My shoulder was in a sling and my ribs were compressed. A nurse was there for me. She explained everything to me and said I'd be out of the hospital soon enough. However, I wasn't concerned with my well being. _

"_What happened to him? Where is Deidara. Where is he?" I asked frantically, gripping the sheets tightly. _

"_Honey, I don't know-"_

_I clenched my eyes and fists, "The other man in my car! He was right next to me. They took him away from me. Where is he!?" _

_She frowned and tried to calm me down. When I became to rile for her, she called down the doctor to my room. He, like the nurse, explained what had happened, but informed me that Deidara had been taken to the morgue. _

"_Was he a colleague of yours?" he asked me. _

_I shook my head and buried my face in my hands. "He...He was my husband." I heard the nurse gasp and the doctor grunt in what I assumed to be disgust. _

"_Well, Mr. Akasuna, we've done all that we can for you. You may sign out in the front," he stated, removing the IV from my arm. _

"_What about Deidara?" I asked, rubbing my arm. _

_He shook his head at me, "I already told you, Mr. Akasuna. He's dead."_

_I stood up to the doctor and glared, "I heard you. He'll be buried won't he?"_

"_That is up to his family-"_

"_I'm his only family. Does that mean I'll be in charge?"_

_The doctor scowled, "We don't allow such things in our hospital. If he has no real family-"_

"_Such things? Are you referring to my sexuality, doctor? We are legally married and he has no one else." _

"_Then it is up to the state," the doctor stated before turning his back to me. "Good day, Mr. Akasuna." _

_I seethed as I watched the man leave before me. The nurse I saw earlier approached me with my clothes. She frowned and whispered me her condolences. After dressing, with assistance from the nurse, I left the building. There was nothing I could do for Deidara and it pissed me off to know that. I had no control. I was left to stand helplessly by as my love was casted away as nothing. _

"Thanks to the help of a nice grave keeper, I was able to visit Deidara's grave. He was buried with plain and inexpensive grave marker that had his name neatly scrawled across. I visit his grave every winter and leave him roses," Sasori muttered quietly. "Roses were his favorite. He said they reminded him of me." He rubbed his wet eyes and continued on speaking. "It's been almost 40 years since his death. I miss him terribly…"

Naruto sniffled and wiped his eyes as well, "Mr. Akasuna...that's so...so sad. No wonder you're such a grump."

"Dobe," Sasuke chided as he thumped his friend on the back of his head.

"No, no. He's right. I became a bitter man after his death. I broke his promise," the old man stated. "Maybe that's why God has kept me alive for so long." He stood up and began to collect the pictures and put them away. "Thank you, boys, for coming over. For allowing me to tell my tale. You've opened my eyes," he muttered. "It's getting late, how about lunch?"

Naruto and Sasuke both nodded and followed the man, their heads spinning with new stories from the past. At that moment, neither boys regretted seeing the old man for a second time.

* * *

_Four years later…_

"Welcome home, Naru!" Kushina smiled, hugging her college son. "I've missed you so much!"

Naruto smiled and hugged his mother in return. "I visited you just a few days ago, mom."

The woman laughed, "It felt like forever. How is college? Are you behaving? No partying, right? You're studying and paying attention in class, right?"

"Mom, you asked me that last week. Nothing has changed," Naruto stated. "I'm doing good. Sasuke is keeping a good eye on me."

Kushina giggled and placed her hands on her hips, "I always knew you and Sasuke would be a cute couple."

"It's not like that, mom!" Naruto blushed.

The woman laughed and waved her son off. "Whatever you say, Naru-darling! So, why're you back so early? I thought you didn't have break until next month?" she asked confused.

Naruto presented the bag he was carrying with him to the woman. "I heard old man Akasuna passed away recently. I wanted to go visit his grave and drop off some flowers."

Kushina's smile softened and she nodded, "He was such a sweet man. I think it's wonderful that you remember him. Most of his family is deceased, so only a few visited him."

The blond nodded, "I heard. Sasuke and I were heading out, so I figured I drop by real quick. Do you know what they did with all his stuff?"

"I believe it was divided and given to his extended family. I hope they take care of it."

"Ah, I see. I hope so too," Naruto agreed before checking his watch. "I should probably go now. The cemetery closes early today."

Kushina kissed the blond's forehead and shooed him out the door. "Have a good day and be safe!" she exclaimed as her son and friend drove off.

"Took you long enough, dobe."

Naruto rolled his eyes at the Uchiha. "You know how my mom is. Did you find out where they buried him?"

Sasuke smiled and nodded, "You'll never guess where."

The blond smiled back knowingly and closed his eyes, relaxing. Without realizing it, Sasori's story had taught both boys a valuable life lesson. Live in the moment, because tomorrow is never guaranteed; let go, because a life of misery is your own hell that you create; and believe, because if you can't believe in something then you'll fall for anything.


End file.
